Phantoms

Tasha

As I run into the school for Advanced Performing Magics, I hear the fractured roar of a dragon. I slam open the huge double doors and bolt down the hallway, whatever it is, it sounded heated, yet agonised. I turned left and halt in front of the closed doors to the hall. Three injured guards blood gushing out of them look at me in dread and terror from what is in there.
One of the healing mages who is tending to one of the injured guards look at me and says earnestly, "It's a familiar, it was the school master's familiar but we didn't tell him that Head Master Faiella has died. He found out and as you know if a familliar's master dies...well they become..." he pauses and has that expression on his face that says, it's better to show you instead.

After a few beats, he turns to the door and hesitantly opens it and quickly turns back to continue using his healing magic to heal the wound on one of the men. The shadows of the room loom into the hallway, while the door opens, creeping in like a cheetah stalking a rabbit. As I peer in, an enormous firefox expeditiously flicks its head towards me, its golden amber, blazing, wild eyes lock onto me, teeth knife-edged and blood soaked, and the autumn red, orange and yellow hairs stand up on point with little blazing fires on each and every hair. Its tail is on fire, like the trees of a forest taking ablaze for miles.
Not looking up at me the man finishes what he was saying, "They become feral animals.." and he leaves it at that.
As I weave through the chairs into the middle of the room, the door slams behind me with a big whamm and locks, well great, I'm locked in. Just me and a feral beast. I stand a few metres away from the raging firefox to which won't stop yelping and growling, leaping and running. I look up to the beast's gigantic head and into his eyes. Even though they are intense and angry I see even deeper, those emotions are a mask, I see sadness, loss and really, well not knowing what to do with myself. I suppose I've been there too, with my mentor, I felt bitter and enraged and worst of all, I didn't know what to do with myself.
The firefox growls at me slowly and possessively, but I growl back, loudly and fiercely as if I'm saying I'm alpha, do not defy me. He doesn't give up there, he takes a swing at me, missing by inches. I get my dagger out and keep it by my side, it bolts towards me and just as i think it is gonna hit me it bolts left and catches me off guard because a second later it digs its claws into my back, flipping me onto the floor and a pool of blood around my me. As if I start to think it couldn't get any worse, it climbs on top of my chest putting little weight on me before I can't breathe. Then little by little more weight goes on. I start to hear cracking in my chest as my ribs start to break and snap. Reaching out for my dagger which was just out of hand's reach I could hear a snap.

I shuffle a bit flinching because four ribs are broken or snapped, shuffle snap, shuffle snap, shuffle snap. For an average 18 year old i've got in total sixteen out of twenty four ribs left. I chuckle to myself and think this is how I get put in my place? I may have got my eight ribs broken but this is nothing compared to how they put you in your place back at the institute. At the institute they sometimes shoot you, break your arms, legs, ribs and fingers and still make you fight. Grabbing the dagger I quickly plunge it into the paw of the now pissed off firefox. It leaps backwards and I get up wincing from a small bit of pain. I roar at it, levelling with it, acting like I was one with it. To be equal I would have to kill it or make it see there is no point. As it runs towards me three seconds to spare, I get out my Great Divine sword that is strapped around my back, briskly and agilely dodge the attack that would have most definitely trampled me and I'd be a goner. I grip my sword ready to run up to it and slice its face open, but as I raise it a bolt of light comes out, demolishing a hole in the ceiling. The fire fox flinches and then whimpers, as I look at my sword I drop it and run towards the firefox who is now laying on the floor in surrender. I stop in front of it, his eyes powerlessly looking up at me in fear, his ears pointing downwards, he was slightly whining. Good he was scared.
A voice ripples through my head, "I'm sorry. I didn't realise you had DemonTiger powers. Please forgive me." it nods its head at me and immediately shrinks. While it shrinks, it starts to heal my broken ribs and back wound. I smile but then quickly fades and I being to think,
What was this firefox on about? What DemonTiger magic?
I snap out of thought and put my hand on its now normal size fox head and ask "are you ok?"
It sits down promptly and nods, then says through my head, "master..." .
"Woah, wait. Hold up a sec. You want me to be your master? As in...you're going to be my familiar?" I ask, a bit stunned at all of this, from the fact I just shot light or something out of my sword, I didn't get killed by that once massive firefox, now it says I have DemonTiger magic and then it wants me to be its master and it's familiar. I'm just overwhelmed.
The tiny firefox bows and then says, "I am Blaz..."
I nod and hold my arms out, Blaz jumps into my arms and climbs onto my shoulder. I look at him and ask him, "doesn't your name mean unwavering protector?" In response he nods and points his head towards the door indicating he wants to get out.
As I turn round, I go to pick up my sword, head towards the door and kick it open with brute force. It slams open and all the men jump in surprise. They notice the hole in the ceiling, then look at me, then look at the tiny firefox perched on my shoulder, its tail a small flicker of fire but not much. The men look back and forward about three more times, their jaws dropped in awe before I say, "What? You did call in a phantom after all." but they just stutter back at me. I turn around and walk away shouting "Ciao!" and I lift my hand in a wave, putting my hands in my pockets and I walk out the door smirking.